Sunday, May 13, 2018

Review: How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger

To Sum It Up: Following a scandal back home in Boston, Faith Wigglesworth's parents send her off to England to find a werewolf husband, believing that only a werewolf will marry their daughter despite her tarnished reputation. Almost immediately upon setting foot in London, Faith garners the attention of Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings, Gamma of the London werewolf pack and renowned for his steely demeanor. Faith is not the type to wilt easily, however, and each subsequent encounter between the two has London society buzzing over whether or not Channing has finally met his match, in more ways than one.

Review: Gail Carriger continues to awe with yet another stellar novella set in the paranormal Victorian steampunk world of her Parasol Protectorate novels. Carriger's deft storytelling provides just the right amount of background on characters who've previously appeared in her works for both newcomers and longtime fans alike. These novellas are also perfectly paced; the story never feels rushed despite the shorter page count. You have plenty of time to get to know the characters (more in depth if you're already acquainted) and become invested in what happens to them.

Each novella has focused on a secondary character from the original Parasol Protectorate series, and in How to Marry a Werewolf, the brusque Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings gets his turn in the spotlight. Channing has always been a fascinating character to me; I wondered what lurked beneath that famously (or infamously) icy demeanor of his, and here we finally get a look inside the mind behind the man/wolf.

Sharing Channing's duties as protagonist is new addition to the Parasolverse Faith Wigglesworth. Faith hails from Boston, and a recent scandal finds her sent away by her anti-supernatural parents to England to land a werewolf husband. In their warped view, only a werewolf would accept their ruined daughter now. Crossing the Atlantic actually improves Faith's circumstances, though. Her cousins the Iftercasts welcome Faith wholeheartedly and show her all the love that her own parents do not. Despite the adversity she's faced, Faith's winning personality shines through. I loved her keen mind and her love of rocks of the geological kind. Faith also doesn't back down easily in the face of a challenge, which is very handy when dealing with Channing, a living definition of the word "challenge."

I never thought I'd use the words "sweet" and "Channing" in the same sentence, but the romance that develops here is very sweet indeed. The road leading up to it is a bit bumpy at times, but readers will be thoroughly entertained by all of the witty verbal sparring that has an Elizabeth Bennet/Mr. Darcy-esque charm to it. I enjoyed How to Marry a Werewolf immensely and eagerly await the next Parasolverse novella.

All in All: Even for readers unfamiliar with Channing's character, How to Marry a Werewolf delivers an extremely satisfying story. Longtime Parasolverse fans will be thrilled as well by the appearance of some old friends. Don't hesitate to snap this one up!